


Best Laid Plans

by VioletMind



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blind Date, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 05:25:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17502437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletMind/pseuds/VioletMind
Summary: The classic "our asshole mutual friends set us up on a blind date and didn't tell us it was a blind date, so instead of getting to know each other we spent the entire "date" scheming against them and decided an awesome way to get back at them would be to pretend to date and then have a horrendous breakup but now we're two months into this charade and I'm not sure what's real and what's fake anymore" AU,





	1. Chapter 1

You were going to kill your friend. You already had it all planned out, too; you would suggest taking a road trip, maybe even try out camping, and then smother them in their sleep. You hadn’t figured out what you would tell everyone when you were the only one that returned from your little excursion, but that could be decided later.

...Or maybe you just needed to cut back on watching all those true crime shows.

It was your best friend’s idea, originally. She had been gushing about a man she met at a bar one night, Ubbe was his name if you were remembering correctly, and had been wanting to the two of you to meet ever since. You had to admit that you wanted to see if he lived up to all they hype, but then she started talking about the fact that he had a brother.

You were suspicious at first -this wouldn’t be the first time she tried to set you up- but you got caught up in her excitement and had actually started looking forward to the get together. It would you and her, along with Ubbe, his brother, and a couple of friends from both parties.

Just a small gathering for everyone to meet, she said. It’ll be fun, she said.

And then she’d gone and gotten herself “sick.” She canceled on you the night before the big day, your other friend who was supposed to be going calling you soon after that and claiming food poisoning. You tried to convince them to just reschedule it, that it was no big deal if the big meet up was pushed back another week, but they weren’t having any of it.

You didn’t know until you had almost made it to the restaurant that a similar fate had befallen Ubbe’s group, all except his brother, thanks to a suspiciously cheerful text. He was already seated at a table when you arrived, a table that was clearly only for two and you were certain this was the plan all along.

You slid into the seat across from him, pleasantly surprised with what you saw. At least he was attractive.

“Let me guess,” he said in lieu of a customary greeting, his eyebrows raised in inquiry, “Margo and Ella are sick?”

You nodded. “And Ubbe and Ivar had last minute work emergencies, didn’t they?” He hummed in agreement, nibbling on a piece of complimentary bread. He should have guessed this was going to happen, in all honesty. Ubbe was acting too enthusiastic about the meeting, it had even rubbed off on Ivar and that should have been his first clue that something was up.

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” He said suddenly, leaning forward with mischief sparking to life in his eyes. “We’re going to give those matchmaking bastards exactly what they want.” It took you a moment to get his meaning, but when you did there was no stopping your grin.

“Hvitserk, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”

You clinked your glasses together to seal the plan and spent the rest of your “date” scheming of ways to make your friends pay for their sins.

~

_Maybe this is a bad idea,_ you thought to yourself as you smoothed your hands down your dress. It had been a week since you and Hvitserk decided on a plan to get back at your friend and his brother for setting the two of you up, but now that the first actual date was nearing you were starting to get nervous.

It was nothing too fancy thank goodness, only a double date with Ella and Ubbe. The brothers both liked pool, so when Ella had brought up the idea of doubling up after hearing how great the first date went with you and Hvitserk, it was a no brainer.

That being said, you still felt the anxiety swirling in your belly. The two of you had decided to only proper way to go about this was to lay it on thick in order to make Ella and Ubbe really believe you had some connection and begin to get emotionally invested in your relationship. Which, naturally, meant a lot of touching and kissing and flirting outrageously.

 

You were a somewhat shy individual, at least in the sense that PDA wasn’t your favorite thing in the world because that would mean multiple sets of eyes on you. You tried to push those thoughts from your head, instead taking one last look in the mirror before you grabbed your purse and stepped into your shoes, psyching yourself up all the while.

Your phone pinged from somewhere in your purse and you fished it out, a smile pulling on your lips despite your nerves when you saw who the message was from.

> _You ready?_

As part of the act, Hvitserk would be picking you up.

> _Yup, are you on your way?_

> _Heading up now._

What couldn’t have been more than a minute passed, and then someone was knocking on the door of your apartment. Shaking your head you went to answer it, greeted with the sight of him dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a white tshirt, his hair tied up.

He whistled lowly when he saw your outfit, eyes looking you up and down. “Way to make me feel underdressed, babe.” You rolled your eyes and pushed him playfully, locking the door behind you after double checking you had everything.

“This is supposed to be our first actual date, isn’t it? I wanted to look nice,” You defended yourself with flushed cheeks, linking your arm through his.

“Are you so madly in love me already that you want to dress up for me?” He teased, leaning closer as you walked.

“Madly in love? That’s a little much, don’t you think? You’re...adequate.” You sniffed in an unimpressed tone, trying to not smile.

“Adequate? _Adequate?!_ ” He cried, swaying dramatically on his feet, his hand clutching at his chest. “You wound me!”

You laughed at his theatrics and didn’t notice how well the conversation went after the quips ended some, ebbing and flowing naturally as the two of you walked to the pool hall which was, thankfully, not all that far from your complex.

When the two of you walked in the door you were both laughing, Hvitserk having launched into rather embarrassing story about a younger Ubbe two thirds of the way over. You were hanging onto Hvitserk’s arm as best as you could while he gestured wildly to go along with his story, trying to stay upright. Seeing your struggle he slipped the arm you were clutching around your waist and kept you against his side, gesturing with his free hand now as you made your way over to the booth.

“Ubbe! I was just telling Y/N here about that one time in high school where you-”

“That’s enough, Hivtserk.” The elder brother cut him off, giving him a pointed look while Ella snickered. She’d definitely have to ask you to relay the story when you were out of earshot of a self conscious Ubbe.

“You look like you’re having fun,” She said meaningfully to you when the brothers start to bicker, nudging your foot underneath the table. You rolled your eyes and and tried shrugging it off, but you felt the tell tale heat go to your cheeks.

It wasn’t long before your dates to challenged each other to a game of pool, and Hvitserk turned to expectantly and tapped his lips. “Give me a good luck kiss?”

Ubbe snorted, having just stood from the booth after having gotten a peck from himself from Ella. “Believe me, he needs it.”

Hvitserk didn’t answer, instead focusing on you. You’d both agreed that kisses had to be included in your little scheme in order to really sell it, but he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. He saw the uncertainty flash in your eyes before you covered it up, pleasantly surprised when you leaned over with a little smile.

“Good luck,” You whispered just before pressing your lips to his, pulling away after only a couple seconds, blushing self consciously. He beamed, hopping up and pointing a finger at his brother.

“You’re going down.”

Hvitserk was the one that ended up going down and was trying to get his third rematch of the night while you and Ella laughed, near hysterics as Ubbe danced victoriously around the table.

He walked you home after that, an arm slung around your waist again. You talked animatedly about your favorite TV shows, discussing your individual theories when it turned out you watched some of the same things.

You said goodbye at your door with a friendly hug and you didn’t have to wait long for Ella to call and start interrogating you about how much you liked Hvitserk, obviously pleased with herself.

~

You went on your second date all by your lonesome, both of you agreeing that to make the ruse as believe as possible you had to actually go on dates, instead of trying to make up stories on the fly that could be misremembered and there was always the chance that you could give two different stories.

You had suggested a movie date, a classic that you couldn’t really go wrong with. You let Hvitserk pick the film you would see together, having not seen any trailers lately that really stood out to you. It backfired.

That evening, he had picked you up like normal, though he wouldn’t tell you what you were going to see no matter how much you begged him. You had even tried to bribe him with what you knew was a favorite food of his; chocolate chip cookies. You didn’t have any on you, but you had told him that you would make some especially for him, the curiosity eating you up inside.

It took a feat of strength, but he held out until you reached your destination and your stomach dropped to your feet.

“A horror movie? Really, Hvitserk?” Your tone was apprehensive and you chewed lightly on your bottom lip; you scared embarrassingly easy sometimes.

“I’ll be right beside you the entire time, love.” Hvitserk soothed, the pet name leaving his mouth without a second thought. You still looked less than excited so he pulled you into a hug, turning the both of you to start walking to get your tickets a few moments later, keeping an arm over your shoulders.

“Come on, it’ll be fine. It’s supposed to be really good, if that makes it any better.” He pecked your temple and looked almost pleadingly at you. If you really didn’t want to see it there wouldn’t be any hard feelings, but he could still try.

You sucked your teeth for a moment and then blew out a sigh, no match for his puppy eyes. “Fine, but if I have nightmares after this I’m blaming you.”

“Then you’ll just have to dream of me instead.” He smirked without missing a beat, and you shoved him over, his laughter ringing in your ears while your face went red.

“You’re horrible, you know that?” To your credit, you managed to sound angry instead of laughing with him.

“You love it,” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, excitedly dragging you over to the concessions stand when you gave in and laughed.

Maybe this wouldn’t be that bad after all.

The first half of the movie was bearable, though the jump scares almost made you shriek a couple times and there was that one that almost made the popcorn fly out of your hands. Hvitserk would lean over every few minutes to whisper in your ear, trying to distract you with commentary so you wouldn’t be as afraid.

You appreciated his efforts, you really did, but the feeling of his warm breath against your ear and neck was starting to make you forget this wasn’t an actual date, that this was more or less supposed to be two friends hanging out.

That, and the fact that it wasn’t quite enough to keep you from being terrified. Towards the end of the movie you were practically in his lap, your hands over your mouth and ready to cover your eyes at a moment’s notice.

You breathed a shaking sigh of relief when the lights finally came back on, the end credits rolling across the screen.

You had to admit, it was actually pretty good. When it wasn’t scaring the crap out of. Hvitserk looked over at you, raising his eyebrows and waiting to hear what you thought of the movie.

You grabbed the piece of candy he was about to eat out of his hand, stood, and pointed a finger at him. “I’m blaming you.”

You were still jumpy when he said goodbye, the friendly hug at your door lasting a little longer in order to give you a reassuring squeeze. After you shut the door you hurried to turn on all the lights in your apartment, not being able to stand the dark at the moment. Maybe in a couple hours if you wound down enough, but you didn’t know for sure.

You nearly jumped out of your skin when you heard your phone ring, brows furrowing in confusion when you saw the name on your screen. “Hvitserk? I only saw you ten minutes ago, are you alright?” You wracked your brain to think of why he would call after only just seeing you, but came up empty handed.

“I’m supposed to be the one asking that question.” He scolded, and you could practically hear him pouting through the line. Your fear was momentarily forgotten, instead your attention switching to teasing him.

“Aww,” You cooed, “are you calling to make sure I’m not scared?”

“Like any good fake boyfriend should do.” You snorted, ignoring the weird little tug your heart did at the word ‘fake.’ You pushed it to the side, instead listening to the sound of his voice once you put your phone on speaker so you could put it down and change into your pajamas for the night.

“Shall I tell Ubbe that you ended up in my lap by the end of it?”

“I did not!” You cried indignantly, your voice tapering off into a huff of laughter.

“Okay okay, _almost_ in my lap.” He amended, grinning into the receiver. He was discovering that he liked spending time with you, even if it all it had been so far was for show. He almost wanted to thank Ubbe for setting him up with you; if nothing else, he had the feeling you two would remain good friends after you broke up.

“Ella will be over the moon, you know she hasn’t shut up about how great a matchmaker she is.” That made him chuckle, a low, raspy sound that made you bite your lip.

“Ubbe hasn’t either, he’s very pleased with himself.”

The two of you talked for almost an hour and half when you finally started to yawn, your eyelids drooping as you shifted into a more comfortable position on your bed.

Forty-five minutes after that the two of you gave in and hung up, both ready to fall asleep still on the phone if you didn’t say goodbye. You couldn’t remember the last time you had spent such a long time talking to someone on the phone that wasn’t Ella or Margo, usually avoiding it like the plague.

Hvitserk fell asleep on his couch with his phone pressed into his cheek mere minutes after hanging up, something that his brother teased him endlessly for the next morning when he finally woke up.

~

Your third date was another double date with Ubbe and Ella, you and her having mentioned being excited for the fair that was came to the city every autumn. You always chickened out of the rides, your mother having instilled a healthy caution of pop up attractions, but you were looking forward to the plethora of fried food and arcade games.

You and Ella got ready together this time, chatting amicably at her place while you waited for the boys to show up. Ella was trying to dig gossip out of you and you her, and thankfully you got her started on explaining how great a kisser Ubbe apparently was and saved you from trying to think of anything romantic to say about Hvitserk. You buried the twinge of jealousy you felt deep, instead occupying your mind with thoughts of cotton candy and winning games.

Hvitsek and Ubbe showed up right on time and the four of you walked out into the chill of the air, the sun just starting to set as you all headed off. You all teased each other endlessly on the way there, all claiming that you would leave the others in the dust and win all of the games you played, being as competitive as you all were.

The first order of business at the fair was food, hungry from your walk over. You opted to share a large order of nachos with everything on them, you and Hvitserk fighting over who got the most olives and tomatoes. Ubbe and Ella were more than happy to let you two have them; they were too busy trying to get the most cheese on their chips.

You ended up splitting up shortly after that with plans of meeting back up in an hour or so to go through the funhouse together. You and Hvitserk stopped for cotton candy before you made it to the games, both unable to resist the call of the sweet treat.

“So,” he started, taking another bite of cotton candy and gesturing to the rows of prizes lined up at the game booth you had come to stand in front of. It was a classic, rows of old style milk bottles lined up that you had to knock down in order to win. “Which one do you want?”

He asked it casually, watching your face as you tapped your chin, acting deep in contemplation. “Mm…That one.” You pointed towards the top row at a stuffed purple dragon, not being able to resist your favorite color.

“Say no more,” Hvitserk finished the last bite of his cotton candy and clapped his hands together in determination, stepping up to the game. You laughed, thinking his resolve was adorable.

Based on his performance in the pool hall on your first date, you weren’t expecting him to actually win the damn thing.

Your mouth was open slightly as he presented you with the prize, having won it for you in one attempt, knocking down the three milk bottle pyramids with surprisingly ease. “M’lady,” He said with a flourish, even bowing before you as he held up the plush.

You blushed, hugging the toy and rolling your eyes when he straightened, grinning proudly. “You are an idiot,” You tried to downplay his actions, finding yourself irrationally charmed.

Instead of taking offense he just snorted and threw an arm around you, the action having become more or less a habit by now, and led you off to another game.

By the time you met back up with Ella and Ubbe the two of you were tied, having made a bet after he won you your dragon that whoever wins the most games from there on out would make the other whatever they wanted. He turned down your offer of chocolate chip cookies once and he would not be missing out on the chance to taste your food again.

The funhouse, thankfully, was not terrible. It certainly wasn’t as scary as the movie you’d been dragged to, and by the end of it you’d actually started trying to scare each other in order to make up for the lack. Carnival mirrors could only go so far with four twenty somethings with sugar rushes.

Ella and Ubbe had called it a night after that, and by the looks they were giving each other you knew exactly why. Before they left you made her promise to call you the next day to spill all the details.

Hvitserk and you, on the other hand, stayed later, each not wanting to leave without someone winning the bet. It was sometime between then and walking out of the carnival, arms around each other’s middles as you tried to keep hold of your respective prizes that you realized you had a serious problem.

The warm fuzzy feeling in your chest wouldn’t go away, no matter how many times you tried to convince yourself that without his brother and your friend around to convince, Hvitserk was simply acting like a good friend, nothing more. You should be more grateful that he was such a good sport about everything, not pushing you or making you uncomfortable when you were acting in front of Ubbe or Ella or both of them, instead going off of your cues. You had kissed several more times after the first good luck peck, sometimes quick and sometimes not, but the kisses had always been to sell the act and Hvitserk turned out to be a great performer.

When you finally said goodbye for the night, you realized that you didn’t like not winning the bet as much as you didn’t like that none of it was real.


	2. Chapter two

Hvitserk decided on chocolate chip cookies for his prize, no surprise there. He had been teasing you about making them for him ever since your bribery attempt, what else would he have chosen? You had already decided you would be making him a proper dinner to go along with the treat, nothing too fancy, and now the only question was what.

You scoured your pantry and cabinets, looking for anything that would make a cohesive dish. Hvitserk may have never met a food he didn’t like and ate like a garbage disposal, but you still wanted him to genuinely like what you made.

Eventually you settled on a simple pasta dish; it was a lazy affair with only a handful of steps and maybe an hour tops of preparation, but you were a pro at making it at this point and knew it tasted good. You gathered up the necessary ingredients and got to work, dutifully ignoring the fact that butterflies were starting to flutter in your stomach.

It wouldn’t be the first time Hvitserk had come to your apartment- movie nights had become a norm of your relationship (at your apartment of course. Ubbe always gave unsolicited commentary). After your reaction to the first horror movie he showed you, he had taken it upon himself to “cure you” of your fear. At least, that’s how it started out. It had quickly morphed into a one upping contest; for every time he scared the wits out of you, you got to make him sit through the cheesiest, most cliche romances you could find.

You were currently winning. _Thank you, Hallmark._

So no, the simple fact of Hvitserk stopping by your apartment wasn’t what had your heart crawling up towards your throat and that weird, anxiety laden excitement brewing in your gut. It was the fact that even when no one was around, the two of you acted decidedly like a couple. Pet names had become second nature and you had stopped hesitating before touching him, wondering if it was just the right amount of affection or if it was too obvious and exaggerated.

You jumped, hand going to your chest to calm your suddenly racing heart after a loud banging had cut through your thoughts. Why he couldn’t just knock like a normal person, you would never know.

You opened your door with a huff, doing your best to keep your quickly crumpling scowl in place when you saw a grinning Hvitserk standing in your doorway.

“Y/N!” He greeted enthusiastically as always, pulling you into a warm embrace which you returned instinctively with a chuckle.

“Hvitserk, you seem happier than usual,” You teased him lightly when he finally let you go and strode further into the apartment, following his nose to the kitchen. You had always liked your apartment, but lately the man had become such a fixture in it that your once cozy living space had turned… lonelier without him. Emptier without his voice and his laughter.

“Y/N, love, you didn’t have to do all this,” He said in an almost shy voice, having seen the size of the dish that was cooling on your stove top. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had actually made him something. Just him, not to share with a room full of people or because they had leftovers they didn’t want to go to waste.

His heart panged at the sight of you scoffing and rolling your eyes at him, like cooking him a meal wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t miss the way your cheeks colored at the pet name, but forced himself to remember you were shy -you still flustered when Ella said she loved you- and it wasn’t anything he should be proud of or take as a sign.

“Quit acting like that,” You whined softly, bumping his hip in a teasing, familiar manner with your own as you passed him on your way to get plates and silverware. “You’re acting like I made you a five course meal.”  You batted his hand away when he tried to help, clicking your tongue at him as you dished out the food.

He shook his head, catching sight of the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies you had pushed to the other side of the counter. He  just smiled to himself, his mouth watering as he joined you at the table with drinks in hand. You clinked your glasses together as usual and dug in, the conversation turning to whatever events happened between the last time you two spoke and now.

Seeing as you were having dinner with Hvitserk, it really came as no surprise to you when you were left with an empty dish and playful questions of when you were going to start on those cookies.

You took the ingredients out from the corner and Hvitserk placed the dishes in the sink, wandering over to you to look over your shoulder curiously. Surely he’d seen cookies made before, it wasn’t that interesting- but you still felt his breath hitting the back of your ear and neck.

“Can I help you?” You murmured dryly, trying in vain to focus on measuring the right amounts of dry ingredients and not the goosebumps that were quickly taking over.

“Shouldn’t I be asking _you_ that question?” He slid around you to stand hip to hip, nodding towards the bowl you were combining things into. “Tell me what to do first.”

Baking with Hvitserk turned out to be more than you bargained for; by the time the cookies were in the oven you both had flour on your faces and he had a good amount in his hair- he’d started it, it was only fair. A third of the cookie dough had found its way into his stomach, though to be fair you’d had a few bites yourself.

The two of you found yourselves on the couch after you dusted yourselves off the best you could, the cookies cooling on the stove. You had to practically shove Hvitserk out of the kitchen when he tried to grab the too-hot sweets, insisting that they needed at least another ten minutes before he could eat them. He relented, pouting and saying that he’d find a horror movie for you to watch as payback.

He tried to, at least. There limited options on demand, none of them being quite up to snuff for his tastes. Sometime during his search you ended up pressed against his side, your head pillowed by his shoulder. Red lingered on your cheeks from the affectionate position, though it had become commonplace for the two of you. Your movie nights usually ended up in the two of you snuggled together, though the motivation for doing so on Hvitserk’s nights usually had to do with the alarming fact you felt safe and secure in his hold.

He ended up settling on a sci fi movie you’d both seen before with a small huff, leaning back into the couch and shifting his position so he could better fit an arm around your shoulders. You fell deeper into his side when he did this, not that you minded.

Your mind wandered as the familiar scenes played out, the dialogue running together until you didn’t hear a word.

When you and Hvitserk began the charade you both agreed that after two months, you would have your breakup, give up the ghost, and hope Ella and Ubbe didn’t you hate you afterwards. It was now approaching the three month mark, the inevitable break up starting to loom over you like a bad dream. Hvitserk had become such a fixture in your life, fake boyfriend or not, that you didn’t want to give him up and risk not seeing each other as much.

~

You only realized you fell asleep when you started to wake up, trying to blink to your vision clear and feeling yourself moving. A low chuckle sounded above you and you tilted your head back, confused scowl already forming when you were suddenly face to face with a smiling Hvitserk.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” He said gently, keeping his voice quiet and giving you a light squeeze as he made his way to your room. You felt your cheeks go hot, groggy mind putting everything together. You must have fallen asleep sometime during the movie and instead of letting you sleep against him, Hvitserk had taken it upon himself to take you to bed. Bridal style. You swallowed, all of a sudden acutely aware of how his arms fitted around you and how his solid chest was pressing against your entire side.

You teased him about his chivalrous behavior to try and cover up your reaction as he deposited you carefully on your bed. A glance at your alarm clock told you how late it had become and before you knew it you were offering to let Hvitserk stay the night, claiming you didn’t want him out on the roads at such a late hour. It wasn’t a good idea, that you knew, but something in you couldn’t seem to bear the thought of being alone right then.

He looked like he was about to protest, to say no- hell, he WANTED to say no at that moment. He didn’t think he could leave in the morning and pretend that everything was still platonic, didn’t think he could take it and still pretend it was an act. But then he saw the look in your eyes, a sliver of real concern making its way into your eyes. It was no secret you were protective of people you cared about, but it still did funny things to his insides to see it directed at him alone.

“Fine, fine,” He sighed, making his voice exasperated but not being able to hide the smile. He turned around, closing his eyes and all, as you hastily changed into your pajamas. Of course he was tempted to look, but he didn’t want to jeopardize your trust by taking a peek. Just in case.

He turned off the light and climbed in once you were all settled,  playfully demanding you scoot over and make room for him. You had a decently sized bed for just you, but with another person it started to be a tight fit- not that you minded all that much.

You were on your side, facing away from Hvitserk as he shifted around, getting comfortable beside you. “Night, love.” He murmured into the dark and you bit your lip softly.

“Sweet dreams, Hvitty.”

~

You snuggled closer to the source of the warmth in front of you, lucid enough to sigh contently and smile when you did but not enough to realize what the warmth was coming from. You had turned over sometime during the night, putting yourself face to face with the man next to you.

You were hugged to his chest, an arm wrapped around you and his cheek resting against the top of your head, his slow breaths stirring your hair.  It was a Saturday, luckily, and neither of you had anywhere to be at any given time. There was no imminent alarm to jolt you from your sleep and startle you. Instead the two of you slept peacefully on, your heavy curtains blocking out a good deal of light and keeping the room in darkness.

Hvitserk woke up first, two hours later and still wrapped around you. He smiled, a sad twist of his lips at the sight of you curled up with him. He slowly turned onto his back, his arm around your waist taking you with him and ending with you settled on his chest without so much as a murmur from you.

He stared up at the ceiling, his chest feeling tight and his fingertips drawing designs on your back. He had been trying to gather the courage to bring up your break up -the point of this entire thing- for weeks now, but every time the words stuck in his throat. He was sure the two of you would remain friends after it, assuming Ella and Ubbe didn’t kill you, but he doubted things would remain the same between the two of you.

You would reach for his hand without thinking, linking your fingers with his and giving a little squeeze each time. You would peck him sweetly when he least expected it when the two of you were out and lean into him with a little sigh when he put his arm around you.  

He would be giving all of that up. He knew you two would go to being strictly friends after all was said and done, which meant no more cuddling up on the couch for movie nights. No more whispering into your ear and flustering you. No more waking up in your bed and holding you close.

He closed his eyes and sighed quietly, feeling you stir on his chest. He looked down at you, watching the way your nose scrunched as you woke and how your eyes fluttered open. He didn’t take his arms from you or stop tracing those designs, finally coming to a decision. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

You huffed a laugh and sat up, disentangling yourself from him with hidden reluctance. He was looking at you with an expression you couldn’t quite place; there was a glint to his eyes that was different from his usual playful attitude. It made butterflies rise in your stomach and your skin heat, but you did your best to ignore it and focus on something safer. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“Letting me spend the night _and_ giving me more food? Y/N, I’m touched.” You clucked your tongue at him for the comment and shoved his shoulder, not surprised when he barely budged.

“Come on, I’m serious. How do pancakes sound?” You had a couple cartons of blueberries in the fridge that you had been meaning to use.  He opened his mouth to respond but before he could say a word, his stomach started growling. You laughed and rose from the bed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Thankfully you had a box of pancake mix in your pantry,  avoiding a repeat of the flour battle from the night before. You hummed absently as you mixed in the blueberries, a skillet heating on the stove. You were so focused on your task that you didn’t hear Hvitserk come up behind you.

You jumped when his arms snaked around your middle, almost flinging the spoon out of the bowl. You felt him chuckle against your back and sit his chin on your shoulder, not seeming to have a car in the world. You went back to your task without a word, relaxed in his hold even though you kept trying to remind yourself that this was only Hvitserk being Hvitserk.

You reached out for a ladle only to have him hand one to you. With a murmured “thank you,” you began pouring the mixture into the skillet, Hvitserk popping a few leftover blueberries into his mouth, not moving from behind you.

He nuzzled your ear and your stomach lurched from the sheer domesticity of everything that had happened that morning. If you squinted you might just believe that the two of you were an actual couple.

You piled the last of the pancakes on a plate and switched off the heat, moving the skillet to the back burner. Hvitserk had stayed firmly in place throughout the cooking process, stealing bites when he could and earning half hearted elbows in the ribs for it and all around being strangely quiet and contemplative.

You didn’t question him about it, instead soaking up the feel of him against you and noting how the silence, while out of character for him, was not uncomfortable.

You tried to move away from the stove, wanting to take the pancakes to the table, but Hvitserk caught your hips before you could. “Hvitserk?” You questioned in a soft voice, setting the plate back down. He turned you around, shifting until you were leaning against the counter instead of the stove that still needed to cool.

He didn’t say a word, his eyes flitting around your face as you looked at him with confusion.  One of his hands rose to cup your cheek, gently and with a slight tremor that made the furrow in your brow deepen.  You stayed still, the look in his eyes keeping you from making a move. You were about to ask him if something was wrong when he pressed his lips to yours.

The two of you had kissed many times in the past, but only if it was for an audience. You were so caught off guard that you simply stood there, Hvitserk pulling away only to lean his forehead against yours.

He stroked your cheek lightly, barely being able to breathe past the knot of anxiety working its way up his throat as the seconds dragged on. He had started wishing that the floor would open up beneath him and swallow him whole when you tugged his shirt and leaned forward at the same time, lips meeting in the middle.

You were both smiling too wide to keep the kiss going for long, Hvitserk wrapping you in a tight hug once you broke apart. You laughed, hugging him back and paying no mind to the rapidly cooling pancakes.

He pecked your forehead and held you close, all of the tension that had building up for the past weeks leaving him in a long sigh. He was content to hold you like that in the middle of your kitchen all day, but a thought sprung to mind.

“Are we ever going to tell Ella and Ubbe? 


End file.
